MDOT bills Ionia County Road Commission more than $304 to change a $1.16 light bulb

Wednesday

Nov 6, 2013 at 7:06 PMNov 6, 2013 at 7:06 PM

Road commission, MDOT split 50-50, but county's share of $152 has an additional almost 40 percent added in an “overhead” fee.

Karen Botakaren.bota@sentinel-standard.com

How much does it cost to change a light bulb?If you are the Michigan Department of Transportation, $304 and some cents.The Ionia County Road Commission was recently invoiced that amount by MDOT for changing a light bulb in a traffic signal. Managing Director Dorothy Pohl said she was told the bulb cost $1.16, and that the total included a three-hour minimum for labor and equipment. The $304 is to be split “50-50,” said Pohl.But that’s not all. The road commission’s share of $152 has an additional almost 40 percent added in an “overhead” fee, which brings its total owed to around $213.“Their overhead used to be 7.5 percent, but they say that, according to a study done in 2007, that 39.95 percent is their actual cost rate,” Pohl said.Pohl said the MDOT director recently reported to the Michigan House of Representatives Appropriation Subcommittee on Transportation.“He said statewide the total amount is $60,000, which is ‘nothing,’” she said. ““For us, it will impact any work MDOT does for on our system, including light bulbs and traffic signals. I’m going to ask the question whether we can go somewhere else to get traffic signals fixed. Is there somewhere closer that will cost less – for them, for us and for the taxpayer.”"The Ionia County Road Commission is already strapped for cash. If this increase was necessary, it should have been done gradually over the course of time,” Republican State Rep. Mike Callton, whose district includes part of Ionia County, said in an emailed statement. “I am unhappy the road commission was not notified of this change and MDOT has promised to provide better communication in the future. We are currently looking for a solution that is more cost-effective and allows local businesses to bid on similar jobs.”Callton also included in his email an excerpt of an e-mail from an MDOT spokesperson explaining the bill.“Regarding the $300 bill for the $1.16 light bulb, our expenses also include such matters as closing a lane of traffic and the expense of the ‘bucket’ truck to get a worker up to replace the bulb. Based on the information provided, it sounds like a traffic signal, but the price of $1.16 seems low,” the MDOT email said.“As for bidding out the project, that gets a little complicated. I think the short answer is that two road agencies “own” the intersection. Ionia County could not simply bid it out, because they only own or control one part of it. That being said, we are under pressure to think of new ways to deliver services. Maybe we can look at different arrangements. Those would still involve costs like closing lanes no matter who does the work.”Follow Karen Bota on Twitter @KarenB_ISS.